The Divine Deception
- December 3, 2021
- Themisian
Get on Steam"The Divine Deception" is a visual novel set in the city of Panthea, where a web of deception threatens to engulf the city. As the player, you'll uncover the truth by experiencing the story through seven different perspectives, each with their own unique viewpoint on the city's political, corporate, and criminal machinations. Along the way, you'll encounter minigames, puzzles, and quizzes to break up the reading and provide additional challenges. With its mature themes and intricate narrative, this 30-hour game offers a rich and engaging experience for fans of the visual novel genre.
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Reviews
- The story is complex and unpredictable, with well-crafted mysteries that keep players engaged and theorizing.
- The characters are richly developed, unique, and relatable, making it easy to become invested in their individual storylines.
- The incorporation of minigames, particularly the hacking minigame, adds an enjoyable interactive element to the narrative.
- Some protagonists have less interesting storylines compared to others, leading to uneven engagement across the cast.
- The action scenes are often depicted with minimal visuals, which can detract from the excitement of those moments.
- Certain minigames, particularly the deduction ones, can be frustrating and may not function as intended, leading to a less enjoyable experience.
- story86 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is highly praised for its complexity and unpredictability, featuring seven interwoven storylines that create a rich and immersive narrative experience. Players appreciate the intelligent character development, intricate mysteries, and effective foreshadowing that keeps them engaged and theorizing throughout. Despite some minor inconsistencies among the storylines, the overall execution is lauded as impressive, making it a standout in the mystery thriller genre.
“The story is complex, the characters are richly drawn and ended up surprising me (some many times, even), the plot twist hints are carefully laid out in a satisfying way that made perfect sense rather than detracting from the plot by blindsiding the player.”
“Overall though, despite its small production scale, the divine deception is able to tell a story of surprising scope, with complicated-but-solvable mysteries, suspenseful political plotlines, and an incredibly believable world.”
“What the story sets out to do, and does, is beyond impressive, and the intensive foreshadowing of each twist (of which there are many) makes even scenes with no 'choice' feel very interactive, as the player attempts to create their own theories.”
“Regrettably, certain storylines were clearly given less thought.”
“In my view, it appears to have been written in afterthought and I found myself bored by the storyline as a whole.”
“With seven different storylines you're jumping through, it never feels like the story slows down.”
- gameplay18 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The gameplay is highlighted for its engaging gambling mechanic that rewards players for correctly guessing story beats, fostering a sense of theorizing and immersion. Additionally, the incorporation of various gameplay mechanics, including minigames like hacking and deduction, adds depth to the visual novel experience, although some players feel the overall gameplay is merely decent. Overall, the writing and innovative mechanics contribute to a fun and interactive gameplay experience.
“The gambling mechanic rewarding you for guessing story beats correctly was also very fun and gave an excuse to theorize pretty heavily on what was going on.”
“Moving on from the story, where this game also impresses me is in how it incorporates different gameplay mechanics into a visual novel.”
“The gambling/betting mechanics were a fun mechanic as well, adding minigames was a fun idea. I really liked the hacker minigame in particular, and deduction was enjoyable too—trying to put all the pieces together was fun.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are generally solid, with sharp character sprites and a distinct UI, though some backgrounds appear rough and certain scenes lack fully rendered visuals, which can detract from the experience. While the indie/low-budget assets are evident, the overall art style is praised for its consistency and effectiveness in complementing the engaging story and music. Overall, the visuals succeed in depicting a lively world, enhancing the narrative experience despite some shortcomings.
“So to conclude, this game has an amazing story that'll make you think about it extensively during and after your play-through, interesting and unique minigames that will be sure to spice up the story, and visuals that more than succeed in depicting this lively world.”
“While being a visual novel, the most important things are the story and characters, the art style is consistently fantastic and the music in each scene flows nigh perfectly with the feeling of it.”
“In terms of visuals, the thing that has easily improved the most is the overall UI, having a clear distinct style while still being very functional.”
“Although the graphics and assets are clearly indie/low-budget, the content and quality of written content that you are receiving makes this game a steal.”
“They need not be high quality, but some artwork would make the scene much clearer.”
“In terms of visuals, though, the thing that has easily improved the most is the overall UI, having a clear distinct style while still being very functional.”
- music12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its ability to enhance the emotional tone of each scene, creating a strong synergy with the art style. However, some reviewers noted that the production quality could be improved. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a highlight, complementing the game's visual storytelling effectively.
“While being a visual novel, the most important things are the story and characters, the art style is consistently fantastic and the music in each scene nigh perfectly flows with the feeling of it.”
“It's like a one-two punch of amazing art and wonderful music back to back; it's great.”
“I enjoyed the songs quite a bit, though their production value is lower than one might hope.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game excels in its emotional depth, offering players a rich tapestry of varied character arcs and nuanced interactions that evoke a wide range of feelings. Each protagonist's journey, along with the intricate stories of the city's inhabitants and factions, creates a compelling and immersive emotional experience.
“The characters and dialogue keep each scene enjoyable from moment to moment, but the game as a whole does an incredible job of bringing players through various emotionally varied, ideologically varied, and tonally varied arcs, both in the clearly delineated arcs of each protagonist and in the subtler but powerful arcs of the various different inhabitants and factions of the city.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "The Divine Deception" is praised for its consistent quality, with players highlighting it as one of the most well-written and entertaining aspects of the game.
“The divine deception is one of the most consistently well-written, funny, and interesting games I've ever played.”
